Tag Archives: Married Up

(Editor’s Note: As I approach age 60, I am “Counting My Many Blessings” by doing a daily countdown from 365. These are in no particular order, but, as you will see in days following, there is a method to the madness.)

Today is my dear sweet wife Julianne’s birthday. She is turning 49 again. In my list of blessings, she probably sits near the very top. Only the blessing of life and the blessing of the Atonement can top the blessing of my sweetheart. My life has been so abundantly filled with joy and happiness because of her.

My life would not be the same if it were not for her being a part of it. I count myself lucky, beyond words!

Julianne as a baby – one of her great Photofabrique projects

Rainbow – I took this a couple of years in ago in Arkansas. But you get the picture.

This morning, as we left the house, it was raining and kind of blasé outside. We have had such nice weather lately that it was disappointing to have it raining. I lamented that I had not arranged for better weather. But, as we drove down Alumni Drive in Lexington, the skies cleared momentarily as the sun came up at around 7:20 and lo and behold, there was a full rainbow ahead of us. I couldn’t capture a photo of it as we were driving and by the time we dropped her off at UK, it was cloudy and gloomy again. But, prayers were answered as she did get a rainbow on the way in. (I have added an old photo of a rainbow I took in Arkansas…best I could do.)

Colorful julianne

Julianne is a colorful and talented individual. There are many shades to her.

She is musical…a great violinist (though she will tell you otherwise); a great coordinator of music – she has arranged compositions at home for her daughters and/or family to sing.

She is artistic. She developed her own fabric art technique called “Photofabrique” and has taught hundreds of people in dozens of classes how to use her patterns to make fabric portraits (like the one posted up above).

Her creativity and musicality are evidenced in this great video of an instrument she created from a carrot!

Julianne is also creative. A great mind. She writes papers with whimsy and colorful description. She is a great learner and picks up on things fast. I have watched her dig into a new software program intent on learning and before long…VOILA!….she has it down pat.

Julianne is a bundle of joy!

At Antique Archaeology in Iowa (home of American Pickers)

Mother of five awesome children

One of the best things about Julianne is that she has been an amazing mother (and continues to be!!) Despite a number of life challenges, living in Japan for years, traveling cross-country, living with the family for weeks on end without me while I was away for work, she has overcome all of the obstacles and has raised 5 amazing children. Most of the credit can go to her!! Ask the kids and I am sure they will concur whole-heartedly! (If they don’t they will have to deal with their Dad later!)

Kiss those sweet cheeks. I have dozens of “Kiss Sweet Cheeks” pics by the way

Julianne is also an awesome grandmother. One of her favorite things to do is to “Kiss those sweet cheeks” and she does it abundantly.

She loves her TEN Grandchildren. Yes, she has TEN of these little darlings and she doesn’t look old enough to have any grandchildren.

I have sworn that as each year goes by, she gets a year younger and I gain two. I’ll bet its the grandchildren that keep her young. I know that its not me!

Julianne can be goofy

She can be a goofball at times. She is fun loving and joyful.

Whether it be using a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrapper as a “tooth protector” (covering all her teeth with the brown wrapper) or using empty pistachio shells as teeth, you can expect something unexpected and funny to come from her.

She would probably seriously injure me if I used some of the goofiest photos I have, but here are a couple of fun ones that I “think” I can get away with….

She took Redneck teeth with her on a Cruise to Alaska and actually wore them in a restaurant in Seattle. Here she is posing with our waiter Spike

This is her Facebook Profile Photo

I don’t dare put her “Peel Mask” photos up…..

I have enjoyed my wonderful times with this gem of a person. She is most certainly my number 1 blessing.

She has stuck with me through thick and thin…more thick lately.

She has been there for me as a strength and support in the more challenging times of life.

She has loved me despite my quirks, foibles, weaknesses, failings and multiplicities of verbal faux pas foot-in-mouth thoughtless comments over the years.

She has had patience with me and still loves me despite all of these things.

After 36+ years of marriage and time with her, I am more in love today than I ever have been.

I adore her and almost idolize her. Does she have weaknesses and missteps? Not that I have seen….

Julianne is the love of my life. I admit that “I Married Up” with all the gusto I can muster.

I Married Up….

The Sweetest Kind of Hershey Kiss!

Enjoying life from the ’70s on with Julianne

Loving life

Still loving life together in 2015

Julianne is and always will be one of the greatest blessings in my life. Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

There are THREE Friday the 13ths this year that we can be lucky on…the first one is today, the next one is in March and the last one is in November. Here are 13 things I count myself Lucky for on this February 13, 2015: